Do You Sleep With Your Makeup On?

Recently Lady Gaga told People that starting when she was as young as four years old, her mother would put lipstick on her and talk to her about beauty. The best tip? "Ivory soap to wash your face." But apparently Mama Gaga didn't teach her rock star daughter everything: Lady Gaga admits that as an adult, she goes to bed with her makeup on seven nights a week. "That's not good for your skin," she acknowledges, "but I'm blessed with good genes." (Lucky for her!) If you've watched even a single episode of Jersey Shore, you know that all the girls are also guilty of falling asleep—or at least passing out—with a full face of makeup on. Maybe it's because in junior high I bad breakouts, but I would rather slack off in any other before-bed category (brushing teeth, changing into pajamas) than not wash my face; I literally can't remember the last time I went to bed with makeup on because I'm so concerned about breaking out. And according to dermatologists, acne is only the beginning of your problems if you sleep in your makeup. "Cosmetics can hold on to pollution, and you'll end up sleeping with a load of free radicals on your skin, which can contribute to cellular damage and early aging," says Howard Sobel, clinical attending physician in dermatology and dermatologic surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital and Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City. That's not the kind of stuff you can wash away with an obligatory splash of water on your face; instead, massage in a cleanser for 30 seconds, so it will "loosen up makeup and oils and dirt," Sobel says.